Fall 2011 Visual Journaling with CG Jung's Red Book & Exploration with the Mandala

  
The Autumnal Equinox came in on a breeze; now in late September the days are warm and the nights crisp.  We will delve in with a Fall Workshop:  Visual Journaling with CG Jung's Red Book led by Rebecca, and Exploration with the Mandala led by guest teacher Phil Roger.

Classes will be held for six Fridays, 2:30-5:30 pm, beginning September 30 and ending November 4th.  Participants can join all classes for a rich experience (and a discount in price!), or may attend one or two or several as their schedules and travels permit. All materials are provided except your personal journal; spiral-or-nicely-bound journals or sketchbooks of good quality unlined paper are recommended. The studio has a nice supply of markers, colored pencils, calligraphy pens, stamps, glues, collage materials, glitter! --okay there's more but I'll stop there.

Rebecca (that's me) has been studying Jung's work in more depth and will add new material to the previous Visual Journaling workshops; in particular has been inspired by a Teleseminar series with renowned Jungian analyst Dr. Michael Conforti.  Looking forward to collage-ing anew, painting in the book, and free-writing.  Maybe we will practice some calligraphy, which Dr. Jung so expertly used in his own journal!

http://www.assisiconferences.com/


Phil Roger will join the series as Guest Teacher, bringing his 30-year study of the Mandala (his Master's Thesis was on Manala imagery) as well as his centering Kadampa Buddhist practice.  Mandala work will spark a creative dialogue with the unconscious, refinding balance, and Self-as-Center.  Phil just completed a 4' mandala assemblage and as an artist is a continual practitioner of this art form.

September 30th and October 7th will be Introduction to the Red Book and Mandala Themes in the Red Book, respectively; beginning either a new journal or a new section in a previously worked journal.  Rebecca will lead these classes, augmenting the Red Book imagery and writing with background from Jung's autobiography, Memories, Dreams, Reflections.  The main focus will be on each student using art materials to find their own dialogue with the inner selves, a very personalized Red Book of Your Own.

On October 14th and 21st, Guest Teacher and Artist Phil Roger will be teaching Exploration with the Mandala--a combination of journal work and larger paper works; it will be about some history and background of the Mandala (one of Jung's themes as well) as well as lots of hands-on work.The microcosmic orbit, offering to the universe, sacred geometry, and learning to make the Yin-Yang or Taijitu symbol, will be part of this two-week block.

Then on October 28th and November 4th, Rebecca will wrap up the workshop series with some other themes in the Red Book including the Wise Inner Guide --who Jung encountered as the dream figure Philemon-- and the Desert Journey; where do we find the richness of soul, in our own personal landscape.  Whereas Jung encountered many imaginal figures in a rocky desert scene, you might find your setting for an Inner Journey to Soul as the sea, or mountain, jungle, or even cityscape!  Participants discover their personal connection to Psyche or soul;  Jung was like a pioneer, but we each have our own path to follow, which is this life,

Class costs are $200 pesos Mexicanos per session (includes all materials except personal journal) or $1000 pesos for all six sessions.  Such a deal!

Write for reservations and directions to the studio:  mexrebe@yahoo.com, call 154 7010 in San Miguel, or Vonage (US) # 505 205 1316.

Generally the class structure is about a 20 min talk with presentations of the Red Book material (the book is GORGEOUS, it will blow your mind!), about 1 1/2 hours of art-making time, and then about 20 min or so for group sharing if people so choose (like show and tell).
I am really loving this material! So rich, deep, soulful. Allows space for our joys and insecurities--for it all.
I have been taking a teleseminar on the Red Book with a wonderful Jungian analyst, so my knowledge is expanding every week, and I look forward to sharing new insights since I began teaching this workshop last fall. ---saludos!  Rebecca

(and Molly)

Art Journaling-- a Red Book of One's Own continues

Free to Be (Kim)

 These Art Journals are inspired by CG Jung's Red Book -- each one is an individual expression of soul, each student's personal 'red book' expressing her own myth.  Their stories unfold in shape and color;  images of the magic wand and elephant, bicycle through the sky;  an "Open Your Heart Book" with La Virgencita; creating and leading from the heart center, allowing the childhood memory of playfulness to lead the way, much as Jung described in Memories, Dreams, Reflections...the way to begin, Just Play!  This is the way in, so often, through the child....

La Pasionada (Ann)

seeking Passion in all things

Elephant Guide (Karla)

Laugh your way into an open heart (Sal)

Let the 
beginning 
begin 
with the 
clarity of the 
heart's 
thought, 
intuitive compassion 
guiding the thoughtful 
mind 
laugh your way in
elephant guides
bicycle rides
little box
girl and the dinosaur emerging


with love and curiosity
for what is next
and what is now

here we go

More Art Journaling--This Time with CG Jung

CG Jung's illuminated calligraphy

Angela G "Be There in Spirit" with Kite

Group's Journals

CG Jung and the Red Book...Liber Novus, a stunning visual journal in which he calligraphed his dreams, active imagination experiences, and painted rich detailed images including many mandalas...this opus has been an inspiration in my new Visual Art Journal workshops, where participants explored their own dreams, imaginal worlds, memories and longings through making their own visual journals, painting, collaging, and writing their way into their own souls.  What a gift to be witness to their sharings! 

Fluid Visual Journaling

Getting unstuck with random collage and writing!  work quick! no thinking! 

I was having a creative block:  too much judgement,

hesitation, doubt in my fingers...having a gallery space

to show work can be motivating but also invites the critic

to the table;  is it good enough?, how will it look?, ...

will it sell?

Working in a visual journal could be a key, I thought, to

changing this mental space I was in (ugh)...something just

for me, that no one else could see, and wouldn't be for

sale nor have to be suitable for framing or hanging...

So, paradoxically, I post these images here for the public

eye, for you dear looker, but not to ask "is this ok?"

but to say "you can do this too!  we all can!"  and the critic

has taken a nap.

change

"Just paint a box blue and the world will change" -- student in today's nichos class

As often happens making art with others, deep conversations unfold over the course of the workshop day.  Our talk turned to change--what idea, what dream even, must we let go of, so that a new image, behavior, perspective, can enter in?
A caterpillar changes itself to a kind of soup inside the chrysallis--not even a little foot left, as my student commented.  Are we prepared to let the form of something die so that the new can emerge?
The act itself of making art can transform us inside as much as transforming our environment.
What have you painted blue today?

underwater nichos

New series of nichos inspired by an ocean visit last year...the process of collecting, assembling, shells and sand, a bit of white coral...Inspiration is all around in nature, in travels or in the daily walk of life...nicho in this photo titled "Blue Pearl", meditation link to follow...

Autumn in Mexico

I love the sound of the whistle of the camote cart--the sweet-potato seller.  It's a true sign of fall in San Miguel de Allende.  Right towards the end of a recent nichos class, there came the loud whistle from down the street.  I flagged him over and, as he pushed his cart up the street--stopping to throw a few bits of wood into the fire-box--I saw that on the front of the cart was an old  New Mexico license plate!  The story of how it got there was a little vague--something about importing cars from Los Estados Unidos -- but it made me very happy to see that outdated yellow and red design dangling off an old wire, announcing the arrival of this year's crop.  It's always a sign of cold weather and impending winter, that loud whistle venting off the steam of the roasting yams.  It's a unique sound and instantly recognizable to me after these years living here, coming around the time of Dia de Muertos or Day of the Dead.  This is the liminal time between the fall equinox and winter solstice, the in-between space when souls come to visit, and a cup of water is placed on the ofrenda--altar or more literally, offering--for the great and great-great grandparents who come for one brief night to visit.  The departed are honored.   We--my students and I--shared plates of the sweet roasted yams and platano macho or plantain.  A sprinkling of canela (cinammon). Buen provecho--enjoy your meal.